Harry Smith is an iris gardener.
I don't know Harry beyond what I can observe of his iris garden. But much of Harry's personality can, I believe, be revealed in the annual celebration of color at his 2-plus acre Iris Patch on Missoula's Westside.
Harry's garden is stunning in so many ways that, for the past 3 years, my wife and I have scheduled special trips to drive past his modest residence in early June... simply to take-in the transcendent rainbow of color that rings brightly over the hundreds of iris (mostly bearded) that stretch upward and unfurl their fragile multi-colored petals, bright with darkly etched stripes, radiant pollen-rich beards and fragile inner chambers.
We've stopped several times to chat with Harry and stroll the paths that wind through his flower garden.
He's a modest, candidly private person in his late 70s or early 80s who now lives alone. Upon conversing with Harry it becomes quickly evident how much he loves tending, seeding and pollinating his beautiful iris.
The beautiful tall, many-hued plants are popular with contemporary gardeners. But iris have actually descended from an ancient, and hearty, native plant commonly called "flags."
Nonetheless, despite their ancestry, modern iris must be meticulously weeded and culled to thrive. And so Harry can daily be observed in his iris patch. Hunched over... kneeling, spading, trimming and otherwise lovingly grooming his beautiful flowers.
A favorite activity of Harry's is pollinating. And he claims success with a unique "horned" strain (see photo below), where the beard of the iris blossom's descending petals rises in a pointed, colorful spike.
When I asked him how he developed his "unique" strain he quietly laughed and said: "Very quickly... over many years of practice." 
He explained that pollinating is as easy as transferring the pollen of one flower to the inner petal of another flower with a cotton q-tip. "And I can show you in two minutes time how to do it. It's that easy," he said.
But Harry admitted that he has developed his unique flowers over many years of repetitive pollinating, on his knees, slowly moving from blossom to blossom.
His hobby is easy and fun, says Harry... particularly for folks who have a little space and love to stay at home tending their flowers.
But he also admits that successful iris cultivation is not for everyone. Because, he says, it takes daily weeding, trimming, spading and transplanting. "It's not for folks with the disease of laziness," says Harry, chuckling.
Harry's patch has blossomed for the year; it is now ebbing into a type of dormancy. All that can now be observed is the thousands of jade-green leafy iris spears of his densly populated patch. Of course they're growing rhizomes, which will shoot upward next April and May.
And by next June my wife and I will develop several excuses to drive past Harry Smith's Iris Patch. You can view photos some of Harry's Iris from 2007 here.
Harry, this is very beautiful you have a great talent in these iris, i wish i had a yard as beautiful as your.
From
Sandy, ( Dr. Jay Matz Office)
Posted by: sandy smith | July 10, 2009 at 07:28 AM